News from the Chronicles - August 2013


Faculty in the News, Summer 2013

(Many) classes were out, but the media kept the phone calls and emails coming to our faculty this summer. Here's a sampling:   Michael Terns, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, is quoted in an MIT news article about genome editing.  The work of Mark Abbe, professor of ancient art in the Lamar Dodd School of Art, is featured in Archeology magazine “Brown ocean” can fuel inland tropical cyclones – Several reports on a newly…

Boons in the lab
Researchers publish new method for glycan synthesis

Researchers at the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center announced a new methodology with broad implications for human health. A research team led by Geert-Jan Boons, Franklin Professor in the department of chemistry, recently published on the first method for synthesizing asymmetrical N-glycans: According to the study, published in the journal Science on July 25, the approach could lead to a better understanding of how viruses and bacteria enter…


Museum of Natural History adds to its collection

The Georgia Museum of Natural History is a unit of the Franklin College that links collections, research, public service, and education through programs designed for a diverse audience. Many Franklin faculty also serve as museum personnel and board members. Faculty, staff, and students from across campus have built significant collections in natural history through their research that, together, represent the most comprehensive in Georgia.…


Re-programming immune cells with nanoparticles

Researchers from the department of chemistry, in the early online edition of ACS Nano, report progress on an innovative new use for nanoparticles: The human body operates under a constant state of martial law. Chief among the enforcers charged with maintaining order is the immune system, a complex network that seeks out and destroys the hordes of invading bacteria and viruses that threaten the organic society as it goes about its work. The…


Franklin Alum honored with Benjamin Franklin book award

We point out this terrific award for an alum's book for obvious reasons, I think.   Franklin Alum honored with Benjamin Franklin book award Book tells real history through fictional characters By JESSICA LUTON jluton@uga.edu   For author and Franklin alumnus Jonathan Grant, Benjamin Franklin has been a recurring theme. He began his career as an English major (AB, ’76) in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and now he is also…


Graduate Student Research Conference

  Franklin students share scientific research at symposium         By Jessica Luton jluton@uga.edu Scientific research, and plenty of it, was on display this week at an interdisciplinary conference on UGA’s Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences. The 5th Annual Scientific Research Day, as it is known, is put together each year by the Graduate Students and Postdocs in Science (GSPS), a…


Student and Faculty features

Well, in a way, I live a double life. In the spring semesters, I teach Organic Chemistry II. This is one of the more challenging courses for pre-professional students in their curriculum, and the class size averages approximately 350 students. This class is high intensity, and I really enjoy lecturing to this class size. On one hand, I get to interact with some of the best students in the university. On the other, many students struggle…


Biesecker wins Francine Merritt Award

The Francine Merritt Award or Outstanding Contributions to the Lives of Women in Communication, presented by the National Communication Association's (NCA) Women's Caucus, honors the memory of Francine Merritt, who taught at Louisiana State University between 1947 and 1984. Congratulations to the 2013 Francine Merritt Award winner, professor and head of the department of communication studies, Barbara Biesecker: Dr. Biesecker's commitment to the…


CTL, biology faculty, team up to reduce textbook costs

Great news for students in our introductory biology courses: The University of Georgia Center for Teaching and Learning is looking at ways to save students money by offering free e-textbooks for introductory biology courses at UGA through a $25,000 University System of Georgia Incubator grant awarded this summer. UGA students who take the entry-level biology courses pay around $97 for a new biology textbook. This grant will collectively save…


Genetically Speaking

  Genetics lectures series begins today By Jessica Luton jluton@uga.edu If the development of species over time is of interest to you, the department of genetics has just the thing for you—a weekly lecture series meant to shine light on genetics research on campus and at other universities.  Featuring visiting scholars and campus experts alike, this series of lectures happens each Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the Paul D. Coverdell Center…

Support Franklin College

We appreciate your financial support. Your gift is important to us and helps support critical opportunities for students and faculty alike, including lectures, travel support, and any number of educational events that augment the classroom experience. Click here to learn more about giving.

Every dollar given has a direct impact upon our students and faculty.